The Mark Sanford Trespassing Hearing Is Off

Less than forty-eight hours after winning election to the U.S. Congress – and less than 24 hours after assuming office – U.S. Rep.-elect Mark Sanford was scheduled to face a Charleston County family court judge on allegations that he has habitually trespassed on his ex-wife’s property in violation of their 2010 divorce decree.

Wait … what?

Welcome to South Carolina politics, people. And if anybody knows the political price of a contempt of court charge, it’s Sanford’s former Democratic rival Elizabeth Colbert-Busch – whose mug shot from a 1988 contempt of court arrest was released to the public a few days before Tuesday’s special election.

Fortunately for Sanford, he has been spared from having to attend this hearing – and spared from a possible contempt charge that could have led to jail time. How come? According to WCBD TV-2 (NBC – Charleston, S.C.) the former governor his ex-wife Jenny Sanford have resolved their differences out of court.

Apparently the resolution was reached after Jenny Sanford’s efforts to keep television cameras out of the proceedings were rebuked.

Sanford’s trespassing problem nearly doomed his candidacy after his ex-wife’s lawyers confirmed court documents that were (cough) mysteriously leaked to the press three weeks ago. Why’d these documents get leaked? Because Jenny was apparently pissed off that her ex-husband exposed two of their children to his mistress-turned-fianceé at a Republican runoff party on April 2.